'1979' Short Film - Directed by Vanna Seang

1979 - The great exodus of Cambodia Written and Directed by Vanna Seang Film Synopsis: Set in 1979, a young family flees Cambodia in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge. As the Vietnamese invasion progresses to oust the Khmer Rouge, food becomes limited and the situation increasing dangerous. There is no currency, so they must pay a smuggler in gold to lead them out for only part of the way. The family continues on their own through the vast landmine riddled landscape and jungle. It’s monsoon and Mother Nature is lashing down. It’s dark and a paper map their only hope out is soaked and destroyed. Will they survive? Short film '1979' is about a young family who must flee Cambodia in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge. Film director Vanna Seang’s vision for the film was to commemorate the thousands of Cambodians who survived the terror of the Khmer Rouge and those who lost their lives. Written by late film director Vanna Seang (1983-2018): “My name is Vanna Seang and I’m a Cambodian-Australian filmmaker living in Western Sydney. My family and I came to Australia in 1988 as refugees from Cambodia. I was 5 years old. Only recently I returned to Cambodia with my parents to rediscovery our family’s traumatic past. A history I knew very little of. What I discovered was a dark past of my parents amazing story of survival during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, that in less than 4 years nearly killed 2 million Cambodians. My parents fled Cambodia when I was only a 1 year old. I lived in a refugee camp until we were eventually resettled to Australia. Although I had no memory of the fleeing experience, I went back to Cambodia with my parents to retrace that journey we made. We journeyed through the vast landscape and jungle to return back to the refugee camp, which was located in Thailand. The short film 1979 was inspired by that journey. I wanted to really tell the story in the most authentic way possible by filming on some of the location my parents took. Based on our experience I wanted to create a film that not only tells their story but also shed light on the hope and fate of so many Cambodians who took that dangerous journey. The film honors those who died crossing the minefields to get to the refugee camps, but also those who survived.” Vanna's passion for filmmaking and desire to discover his Cambodian heritage led him to direct, write and produce his iconic short film '1979'. Tragically, Vanna passed away in September 2018 due to an unexpected illness not long after releasing his film. He will always be remembered as a beautiful soul, an artist of life and talented creative storyteller. Film Highlights: Screened at Bronx World Film Cycle Winter 2023 Included in the Cannes Short Film Corner 2018 Official public premiere on November 29th, 2019 at “Flicker Friday - Celebrating Local Filmmaker Vanna Seang” a special event hosted by Fairfield City Council and organised by Niramsin Yakou A film review by Bronx World Film's Founder, Walter Krochmal: “When I saw this short film at Cannes in May, it shook my world and has stayed with me ever since. It is such a brilliant, insightful piece of work in portraying the devastation of the war without ever showing us a battlefield or a drop of blood, simply bringing us close to the war through suggestive filmmaking and an intimate focus on the microcosm of a family fleeing through the forest. Our organization is dedicated to film as an artistic discipline, and I can tell you that Vanna stands in the company of masters. He made a deeply human film, an antiwar movie that never stoops to sloganeering. It is arthouse filmmaking at its best, and I dare say it stands alone in its portrayal of the effects of the war on the people of Cambodia. It will stand as a classic.” Film Credits: Thank you to the entire production cast and crew who helped bring Vanna’s vision to life. A special thank you to Vanna’s parents Ly Heang Seang and Norn Seang, Executive Producer Barry Gamba, Director of Photography Vincent Tay, the cast - Ouch Som Art (‘father’), Noun Srey Pov (‘mother’), Long Sovannareach (‘son’), Mon Han (‘smuggler’) and Khchip (‘friend’), 1st Assistant Director Boroth Long, Unit Manager Saody Noem, Music Composer DR Him Sophy, Sound Mix & Designer Noise Lab and Scott Collins, villagers of Phnom Tamao and Production Consultant Platon Theodoris. Thank you to all crowdfunding supporters and all other contributors who are acknowledged in the film credits. DEVELOPED WITH THE SUPPORT OF INFORMATION & CULTURAL EXCHANGE IN ASSOCIATION WITH CREATE NSW, SCREEN AUSTRALIA AND FAIRFIELD CITY COUNCIL. Shot on location in Cambodia, Thailand and Australia. Thank you for watching. Please share the short film ‘1979’ with your family and friends    • '1979' Short Film - Directed by Vanna Seang